


Colors

by ChiotWriter (IgnisHeron)



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Character Study, Eventual Romance, F/F, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2018-12-07 15:45:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11626713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IgnisHeron/pseuds/ChiotWriter
Summary: A Trimberly fic which focuses on their highschool lives and personal issues rather than beingcentered around training or Ranger shenanigans (partly because I suck at writing action scenes, but that’s besides the point…)OrThe one where Trini evolves from ‘I-would-rather-scale-this-mountain-and-jump-over-this-cliff-before-I-talk-to-you’ to ‘I-got-your-back-Kim!’(Proving that being socially awkward and angsty could be so damned attractive.)OrThe one where Kimberly goes from ‘what-is-wrong-with-you’ to longing stares and embracing the fact that ‘she-is-my-precious-one’(Bah, who are we kidding? Kimberly obviously always had a thing for our little Yellow.)OrThe shamelessly Trimberly-centric fic, with minor focus on the other Rangers and other characters.(PS, absolutely love the other characters, but I chose to focus on our girls instead.)(Sorry but I got my priorities straight *pfft* —and that is about the only thing straight in this fic.)





	1. One

 

It was funny how, just mere days ago, none of them would have bothered to know one another better. 

 

It was certainly funny how now, they couldn’t imagine a life without each of them in it.

  
  


***********

  
  


It was still dark out, the sun hadn’t even made its presence known yet, but unlike most normal teenagers, Trini was wide awake and she was pulling the beanie over her head before placing the headphones over her neck. 

 

The house was quiet, but that was to be expected given the hour. Trini scrawled a note and placed it on the table, in a lousy attempt at placating her mother’s impending outburst. 

 

Trini would have to deal with that eventually, but for now, the quiet moment is hers — and she wouldn’t let any pesky thoughts taint it. 

 

She walked down the silent street, towards the school, with heavy metal music threatening to destroy her eardrums, but she never felt more at peace. 

 

Effortlessly, she jumped over a tall fence, since the school is technically not open yet. 

 

Though she was exhilarated at the fact that she could pull shit like that without breaking a sweat, a sense of dread had formed in the pit of her stomach, and it triumphed all other feelings she could have at gaining superpowers. 

 

Less than two days ago, she discovered that she was now part of some ancient alien force to destroy an alien threat — and Trini really didn’t sign up for any of this. 

 

Far from it, in fact. 

 

All she ever wanted was to hopefully scrape through high school in this backwater town, and maybe not have to move until she had graduated at least. 

Because even though this place was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by small town folks — Trini was tired, emotionally and psychologically — and she could really stand to stick around for a while longer, if possible. 

 

After all, there was only so many times she could move without it completely exhausting her soul. 

 

She adjusted her bag to sit more comfortably on her body. Trini looked around, and couldn’t fight the sense of anger surging through her. 

 

Up until a couple of days ago, she had thought that things are finally looking alright for once, since she’s been around Angel Grove for over a year now and her family seemed to not want to move around again.

 

So just when she had finally had her hopes up that she could make it through high school in one piece —  **_of fucking course_ ** , out of the many kids in Angel Grove, _ she _ was chosen to be part of some ancient alien superhero team. 

 

Trini, the ever evasive queen, couldn’t evade the works of the universe, apparently. 

 

It was unfair, and she didn’t ask for any of this. Trini clenched her jaw, her steps were heavier now as she crossed the empty parts of her school, and made her way towards ‘her spot’. 

 

Her spot as she dubbed it, was at the end of the wide green field of Angel Grove High, it was quiet and surprisingly almost always secluded, and it was where she had spent most of her time there if she didn’t have class.  

 

It was a safe haven for her, and since most of her foreseeable evenings were now supposed to be spent with a bunch of kids she didn’t really want to be around with —Trini figured she should squeeze in as much alone time as she could into her day. 

 

Her other spot in the mountains got compromised after all, with that Zack dude creepily observing her since God knows when. 

 

Her nose picked up the scent of grass, and evaporated sweat. Her steps quickened, and then she was greeted with the sight of the wide empty field, the slowly brightening sky lighting the place. Trini stopped to appreciate the stillness which hung in the air. 

 

She pulled off her headphones, the soft sounds of her surroundings hit her like a gentle caress, and Trini took in a few deep breaths before moving towards the corner of the field, dumping her bag at the side. 

 

She spread her arms, and her legs curled as she started warming up for her daily yoga sessions. Eyes trained forward to the stretch of green grass, it certainly couldn’t beat the view from the top of the stone, but Trini would take this rather than nothing at all.

 

Her heavy metal music could be heard distinctly, coming from her headphones hanging around her neck, and Trini closed her eyes as she executed a few familiar poses. 

 

In this moment suspended in time, Trini didn’t have to think of anything at all. 

 

For a while at least, she isn’t made up of her past, of her seemingly endless issues, of her worries or fears for the future — she is merely Trini, the yoga and heavy metal enthusiast.

 

A sense of calmness filled her up, and she clung onto that. 

 

By the time she’s done, the sun was most definitely out now, and Trini knew that her moment of silence was coming to an end. She let out a soft sigh, and picked up her bag from the floor. 

 

It could be a trick of her eyes, but Trini thought she had seen a flicker of movement from her peripheral view.

 

She turned to look at that direction and saw nothing. 

 

Turning around, she started walking away, deciding that she must have imagined that. 

 

When she could hear the sounds of cars driving into the school compound, that thought was brushed away as Trini ducked to obscure herself from being spotted walking out of the field.

  
  
  


**********

  
  
  


It was near dawn, but one Kimberly Hart was far from asleep, so impulsively, she decided to walk aimlessly down the street. She chose not to take the mountain path, deciding to stay away from that place for now, at least. 

 

Kimberly couldn’t sleep. 

 

She hadn’t done much of that ever since she had fallen from grace at school, and her current situation didn’t exactly help too. 

 

But somehow, that Kimberly could almost expect something like this to happen. 

 

Not the Power Rangers part, but the part where they could potentially march towards their veritable doom when Rita saunters by in less than two weeks.

 

Kimberly couldn’t say it for the others, but she felt that perhaps this was one of the ways the universe was punishing her for being such a horrible person. With her getting her butt kicked by some evil alien who seemed to be obsessed with gold. 

 

Kimberly thought it was almost poetic justice, seeing that she  _ was _ the golden girl of Angel Grove High. 

 

She let out a sad chuckle then, shaking her head at her own thoughts. She was the  _ ex _ -golden girl. She doubted even Rita would be bothered with her now. 

 

A sigh escaped her lips then. Angel Grove was within her sights now, and she broke into a sprint, desperate for the distraction from her haywire thoughts. She vaulted over the wall, and landed with a soft thud. 

 

A smile couldn’t be suppressed at the thought that she would probably be the envy of all the jocks in the school, if they knew. 

 

She mindlessly observed the empty lot, and the other school fixtures which she admittedly didn’t pay much attention to in the day. 

 

Now that she had paid close attention to them, she was kind of glad she didn’t, because there was nothing special around. 

 

Bored with the walls, Kimberly hesitated for a hot second before making her way to the field. 

 

It was her sanctuary, her turf, her favorite place in all of the school, and her heart hurt at the thought that she was now unwelcome in these fields during the day. 

 

Pushing down her sadness, she stood straighter as she walked on familiar grounds leading to the field. Their reactions are to be expected. 

 

Kimberly wouldn’t expect anything less, anyways. 

 

But what Kimberly couldn’t possibly  _ expect  _ — was Trini, standing by the field, doing  _ yoga _ , of all things, in this ungodly hour. 

 

Well, not that she was one to judge since she was here too — but you have got to see how weird this was, right? 

 

Kimberly’s face scrunched into a confused frown, but it slowly faded away when she finally took a closer look at Trini’s face. 

 

For the first time since she recognized her existence, Kimberly didn’t see even a hint of a scowl on the other girl’s face. Her features were soft, and in the middle of empty school — Trini looked completely at ease. 

 

Another sharp pang shot through her heart at the open, unburdened expression on Trini’s face. 

 

Kimberly wondered when would she be able to achieve that level of peace — when she couldn’t even close her eyes without seeing the angered, disgusted faces of her ex-friends, and the disappointment on her parents’ faces. 

 

She swallowed the bile rising in her throat and took in a sharp inhale as she fought back her tears. 

 

She came here to try to distract herself from her thoughts, but seeing Trini and how peaceful she seemed … made her acutely aware that she herself, wasn’t. 

 

Taking one more look at Trini, who now seemed to be packing up, Kimberly bolted away from the field, hoping that she didn’t catch her invading in her moment. 

 

Kimberly already invaded too many people’s lives to last her a lifetime.  

  
  
  


************

  
  
  


Trini broodily faced forward, her hand taking down notes diligently as the Biology teacher rambled while the rest of the class fought sleep. 

 

Her eyes dipped downwards, and she took a small pride in the fact that her notes were neatly written, even though she was hardly looking when she wrote. 

 

Instinctively, she lifted her head, and caught Kimberly glancing at her, appearing to be a tad sheepish at being caught staring. Before Kimberly could gesture or worse — smile at her, Trini’s eyes were lowered again towards her book, successfully ignoring Kimberly. 

 

It was not that Trini was rude (she kind of is), but before the whole we-share-coins-and-destiny thing shoved to her face, Kimberly, quite frankly, never noticed her. 

 

Not that Trini cared, but she doesn’t like… this forced friendliness between all of them, just because they had to work as a team. 

 

Sure, Trini could play nice when necessary, but she wouldn’t be caught dead doing anything beyond her obligations. 

 

So no, she wouldn’t want to be chummy with any of them …. Except maybe Billy of course. Because who could be cold to that human personification of a ray of sunshine? Not even Trini could.

 

The rest can suck it though, Trini decided. 

 

When the bell rang, and Kimberly turned to smile at Trini, but her smile fell when she saw the now glaringly empty seat. 

 

She sighed softly. Kimberly had hoped that since they were all in this together, that they could, maybe become friends because of this. 

 

It was a silly hope, but it was there nonetheless, and Kimberly very much welcomed that tiny spark of positivity out of her many negative ones lately. 

 

But now with Trini’s empty seat quietly mocking her for even hoping, Kimberly’s heart cracked a little more inside. She should have known better by now. 

 

_ Who would want to be my friend anyways? _ Kimberly’s chest constricted further at that, a surge of emotions suddenly threatening to overwhelm her. 

 

She wouldn’t allow herself to cry though. With slumped shoulders, Kimberly pushed past sneering faces, and ignored soft mockings as she made her way to her next class. 

 

_ I’d hate me too. _


	2. Two

 

“Trini! Trini wait!”

 

Trini instinctively started quickening her steps before she gradually stopped. Letting out a sigh, she decided to stop running away from people …. Well, to stop running from the other Rangers, at least. 

 

Her frown was in place when she turned around, and assaulted by Jason Scott’s bright smile. “I thought you would bolt on me for a second there.”  _ And his assumption was right _ , Trini thought. 

 

But she said nothing, and instead continued looking at him, quietly questioning his purpose of calling out to her in the middle of the hallway. 

 

Jason cleared his throat, and then softly said, “I was just wanting to ask if you could make it to training today, Zack couldn’t, so I wondered if you were.” 

 

“You couldn’t just text me?” Trini regretted her quip as soon as she said it and Jason smirked, “I would, if I had your number.”

 

Knowing the inevitable was drawing near, Trini exhaled softly in defeat as she fished out her phone from her pocket, and Jason’s smile brightened. 

 

She held out her phone to him, and he keyed in his number into her phone. “Great!”  _ It’s really not _ , Trini thought. “Now we could reach you anytime!”  _ Definitely not great, _ Trini darkly amended her thought. 

 

He waved at her when the bell rang and everyone scrambled into their classes. Trini slipped into History, and Billy eagerly waved at her. She couldn’t help but quirk a smile at that, and she gave him a small wave before sitting at her usual seat at the back. 

 

When class was over, Billy made his way out, sparing Trini a smile before he left. Trini released a sigh of relief at being left alone before scurrying out — and then she bumped into a solid figure. 

 

She frowned.She thought that with her new powers, she shouldn’t feel pain like she used to, and when she lifted her head to glare at whoever it was, her words died when she saw that it was Kimberly. 

 

Or more like, Kimberly without her usual cocky smirk in place, and…. _ Are her eyes red??  _

 

Kimberly seemed to snap out of her thoughts when she recognized the beanie clad head. “Trini?” 

Her voice sounded funny, and Trini’s frown deepened. Kimberly immediately assumed it was because she was annoyed by her general presence. 

 

“S-Sorry about that.” Kimberly muttered before pushing past her to walk into the classroom. 

 

Now Trini was rather divided. On one hand, she was curious, and on the other,  _ she wasn’t even supposed to care _ . 

 

She stood there for a split moment, but when the bell rang again, she shook her indecisiveness away and walked towards her next class instead. 

 

It wasn’t her to be nosy in people’s business, anyways. 

 

Still she couldn’t deny that she felt a twinge of concern for her fellow Ranger. 

  
  
  


 

*************

  
  
  


 

Kimberly went through Physics without paying much attention to the lessons taught. Her mind went back to what happened before and she might have broken her pen because of her clenched fist. 

 

She has had the misfortune of running into Amanda and her old group of friends, and she prayed that they would just snigger at her, and then she’d be on her merry way to class — but why would the universe grant Kimberly Hart her little wish? 

 

She wasn’t bruised, not in the least bit — but being shoved around by the lockers by a bunch of girls, hurts a fuck-ton too. 

 

It didn’t help that no one came to her aid, some even goaded them, because Kimberly Hart was a bitch ( _ ex-bitch, if Kimberly was being wistful _ ). So who, in their right mind would sympathize with her? 

 

And so she picked up her dropped books as quickly as she could, and speed-walked to class, hoping to get away from their laughing faces as soon as possible. Her eyes burned dangerously, and it took all of her crushed pride and fragile psyche to keep the tears from falling. 

 

Then, of course she would bump into Trini, literally. From the force of it, Kimberly knew Trini must have felt annoyed at being bumped at, with one peek at Trini’s deep frown, it confirmed her thought. 

 

Dread sunk into the pit of her stomach, her chances at being friends with Trini seemed to be reducing by the second.

 

With slumped shoulders, Kimberly mumbled an apology and quickly made herself scarce, sure that Trini would appreciate her being out of her face. Kimberly tried not to look at Trini’s direction, though she felt the weight of her stare. 

 

She was too afraid of what she’d see in her face if she did. 

  
  
  


 

 

Here Kimberly was, at the end of class, and the start of lunch. She got up, making her way to get her food, hopefully score herself a quiet spot, then pretend that she doesn’t hear her ex-friends taunting her from a distance. That’s pretty much her routine from now on. 

 

When she walked into the cafeteria, she tried not to look towards the tables of the popular kids, her old spot —  and grabbed a sandwich and a juice box as quickly as she could before blending with the other students, surreptitiously scouting for an empty table, or to spot either Jason or Billy. Trini definitely wouldn’t want to be around her unnecessarily. 

 

She was disappointed when she didn’t see either of the boys, but she did see an empty seat at the corner. She quickly went there. 

 

The other kids at the table looked surprised that Kimberly Hart was joining them, but they didn’t approach her.  _ I could live with that _ , she thought as she unwrapped her sandwich. 

 

Meanwhile, not too far away, Trini had taken her food and was more than ready to head over to her spot, as she usually does, when she caught sight of Kimberly, who was sitting alone at the nerd table. Trini furrowed her brows, _why was she alone_? 

 

Trini observed her. The ex-cheerleader had a somberness in her, a haunted look in Kimberly’s eyes which she could understand oh too well. She remembered bumping into her earlier, and recalled red eyes. Trini was horrified to find herself…. concerned. 

 

A ridiculous urge to sit beside her popped in her mind, and her frown deepened.  _ Why do I care? _ She spun around, intent on walking away, but her traitorous foot wouldn’t take a step further. She let out an audible sigh, clenched her teeth, and redirected herself to go to Kimberly. 

 

Kimberly felt someone’s presence beside her, and when she turned to look, she couldn’t bite back her surprised gasp. “Trini?” She was very surprised by the company she suddenly found herself in, especially when it’s hers.

 

“Last I checked, yes.” Trini deadpanned, before staring at her bags of chips, seemingly unbothered by the burning gaze Kimberly was sending her way. 

 

She hid her sigh of relief when Kimberly finally averted her gaze, and Trini was more than content with the silence that had descended upon them. 

 

Of course, Kimberly didn’t appreciate silence like Trini does. “That can’t be good for you.” Kimberly crinkled her nose at the bags of chips and candy bars that Trini was clearly intent on devouring. 

 

Fixing Kimberly with a look, Trini tore open a bag of chips, taking a fistful of it before stuffing it into her mouth, then after a moment of deliberation, she pulled the bag slightly away from Kimberly’s reach.

 

Kimberly snorted at her childish behavior, “What are you, 5?” She gave her an eye roll — but the beginnings of a smile was on her lips. 

 

Trini didn’t deign her with a reply to that either, and instead, she proceeded to keep munching her chips, while slightly narrowing her eyes annoyedly. Kimberly hid her smile by biting into her sandwich, while occasionally shooting curious glances at her. 

 

Trini, for her part, ignored Kimberly’s looks and unworded questions. Honestly, she doesn’t know what to tell her anyways.  _ Oh hey, I may or may not have been concerned about you  _ …. Yeah count that as one of the ‘Things Trini Will Never Say Aloud’. She took another big mouthful of chips.

 

Though most of their lunch together was spent in near silence, save for the sounds of their chewing (from Trini’s seemingly endless array of snacks), but Kimberly felt that the seeds of friendship might blossom between them after all — and try as she might, she couldn’t quell the sudden surge of hopefulness within her.

 

Trini suddenly stood up, and Kimberly looked up at her with wide questioning eyes. Trini rolled hers, before gesturing at her crumpled bags, “I’m throwing these.” After a beat, she added, “You throw your own.” 

 

Kimberly smiled amusedly at Trini as she walked across the room to dispose of her thrash. That girl was something else, alright. 

 

Her view was abruptly obstructed by a few bodies. Kimberly clenched her fists, when Amanda spoke up, “Hey Kim. How are you liking your new life as a reject?” The little group sniggered, and Kimberly could feel herself shrinking by the second. 

 

Their smiling faces changed into frowning ones, when a figure broke their little formation. “Hey watch it!” Amanda snapped, since she got shoved aside the hardest. 

 

A tan hand shot out to grab Kimberly’s used sandwich wrapper, then Trini turned around to them while holding it up, “When I see thrash in front of me, gotta get rid of it.” Her eyes were intently fixed on Amanda. 

 

Kimberly involuntarily snorted in laughter, but she quickly placed a hand over her mouth, so as to not cause a bigger unnecessary scene with these girls.  

 

Amanda’s face turned bright pink, and she said, “Are you saying I’m thrash?!” 

 

Trini smirked, “What do you know? She’s got brains after all.” Not waiting for her response, Trini roughly pushed past Amanda again, leaving her to gape after her incredulously. 

 

Kimberly quickly got up and scurried towards Trini, but not before hearing Amanda hiss angrily, “Who the hell does she think she is?!”

 

“Better question is,  _ who is she _ ?” Another girl chipped in unhelpfully. 

 

Kimberly managed to keep up with Trini as they walked out of the cafeteria and into the hallway, but Kimberly kept a small distance between them, while staring at her back quietly. 

 

Which, unsurprisingly, didn’t go unnoticed.

 

Trini sharply turned around, and Kimberly abruptly halted in her steps as well, bracing herself for the other girl’s impending annoyance. 

 

However, instead of snapping at her, Trini let out a little sigh, “We don’t have Biology until last period.” 

 

Kimberly blinked. Then her face grew hot as she quickly said, “Y-yeah, I knew that.” Trini raised an eyebrow at her, but didn’t say anything to that. 

 

Trini turned back around, and waved her hand awkwardly as a gesture of goodbye before walking down the hall, leaving a stunned Kimberly staring after her. 

 

That little seed of hope from earlier? Yeah, it definitely bloomed. 

  
  
  


 

 

*****************

  
  
  


Kimberly panted heavily, sweat pouring down her face, her eyes fixed on Trini as she continued sparring with Jason. 

 

Growls and grunts echoed in the Pit, and despite Kimberly nursing a massive bruise on her arm, she couldn’t take her eyes off the Yellow Ranger.

 

She admired the almost feral way Trini would charge at her opponent, and having experience against her herself, Kimberly could say that Trini was one heck of a fighter. 

 

Jason’s moves were powerful and charged, but he lacked the sheer brutality and calculated moves that Trini had, and that’s something they all couldn’t keep up with sometimes. 

 

Which usually leads to their butts being kicked by the 5 foot ish ball of fury. 

 

Trini’s gleeful laughter brought Kimberly out of her thoughts, and a smile quirked on her own lips at the obvious glee that Trini had at Jason rolling around the floor, clutching onto his stomach in pain. 

 

But she didn’t leave him rolling in pain for long, and Kimberly watched as Trini said something which made Jason smile at her before she offered him her hand to him to pull him up. 

 

That was the part of Trini which intrigues Kimberly so. 

 

For someone who comes across as ‘aloof, broody and flighty’, Trini exhibits moments of camaraderie and kindness which surprises her — and Kimberly felt herself drawn to her. 

 

Her ears picked up Billy’s voice while talking with Alpha 5, but she didn’t know they were talking about her until Billy dropped down beside her and started, “Here’s a salve for the bruise, Alpha 5 said it will quicken the healing process. I’m really sorry for punching too hard, I didn’t know why you didn’t see that coming, since I need to work on my surprise element in combat, but I landed this hit and now you’re bruised. I’m really sorry.” 

 

Kimberly blinked a couple of times as she registered Billy’s ramblings, her hand reaching out to take the salve. 

 

She smiled widely at him, “It’s okay Billy. Bruises are normal for fights, and it was my fault for being distracted.” 

 

Billy nodded, “You’re right. I guess I’m still not used to the whole concept of us fighting aliens you know? I’ve never even punched anyone before.” Kimberly’s smile deepened, “I know, Billy.”

 

“Why were you distracted? You should focus on what’s in front of you, it’s dangerous otherwise.” Billy asked, concern obvious on his face. 

 

Kimberly’s ears burned, and she spared her another sideways glance before answering, “Uh, the rock formation is kinda cool, so …. I was looking at it.” She cringed at how lame that sounded.

 

Billy nodded eagerly, excitement evident in him, “Yes! The rocks are cool! I wish I could dig around a bit more, but Alpha 5 said I shouldn’t because it’s supporting the ship. But it’s okay, Alpha 5 has other cool things for me to check out too.” 

 

Kimberly chuckled, “I’m glad he does.” Her words trailed off when she saw Trini waving at their general direction before predictably bolting away from the Pit and making her way home. 

 

Kimberly felt a pang of disappointment. It was not that they would talk much, but she liked having her around. 

 

Sighing, she turned to observe Jason and Billy’s sparring session — but it wasn’t half as interesting without Trini around.

  
  
  
  
  



	3. Three

Trini popped her bubblegum while pushing the shopping cart disinterestedly. 

 

Her foot pushed at the floor, and then she stepped on the little platform on the cart, allowing it to glide across the floor. 

 

From the corner of her eye, she could see her mother’s pursed lips. As per usual, Trini’s cool exterior grated further into her mother’s nerves effortlessly. 

 

Her mother’s jaw was tight as she went about getting groceries, Trini knew she was struggling to keep her composure in the supermarket, but she could see that her patience was running thin at this point. 

 

Heaving a soft sigh, Trini got off from the platform and started pushing the cart like normal people would. 

 

Her mother visibly relaxed at that, and Trini asked, “What else do we need?” She was hoping to get this whole thing done and over with as soon as possible — for the life of her, she doesn’t understand why her mother loved dragging only her to get groceries.

 

Wait, she actually knew — ‘ _ it was just one of the things girls should do _ ’, was what her mother always said. Trini tried to swallow her bitterness at her family’s intense need for normalcy.

 

“Just some toilet paper and we’re done. We could … get some ice cream later? If you want.” Her mother said, and Trini felt her anger subside at her mother’s hopeful tone. 

 

Despite her openly rebelling against them sometimes, Trini does love her family and she knew that they loved her too — just in ways Trini wished was different. 

 

She nodded, “Sure.” A small smile was on her face when she saw that the smile on her mother’s face grew. 

 

The rest of the shopping session went uneventfully, to Trini’s relief and they were unloading their stuffs to pay at the till, when Trini was met with Kimberly’s surprised face. 

 

Kimberly’s surprise melted away into a wide smile, and she asked, “Hey, what are you doing here?” 

 

Wryly, Trini held up the bag of apples before placing it on the counter pointedly, “Gee, I wonder.” Kimberly blushed when she saw that Trini was smirking. 

 

“Who is this?” Her mother’s question reminded Trini that she wasn’t alone. 

 

Kimberly watched as Trini quickly schooled her features into a nonchalant one, and she shrugged, “Just a schoolmate.” Kimberly tried to not let those words hurt her, but truthfully it stung. 

 

It must have shown in her face, because a flicker of something flashed across Trini’s face before it disappeared, and Kimberly quickly turned to pay for her own stuffs, silently being grateful that her hair was hiding her burning ears. 

 

Kimberly’s hands stilled when she heard Trini’s mother asking something in Spanish. She didn’t understand what her words were, but Kimberly noticed that her tone was clipped and a little harsh. Trini coolly answered, “No, we’re not.” Her mother replied, her tone was now unmistakably angry, somehow. 

 

Trying not to seem like a creep eavesdropping on the duo, Kimberly grabbed her stuffs, and turned around, wanting to wave Trini goodbye at least, but she paused when she saw the frown on both of their faces. 

 

It wasn’t directed at her, but Kimberly still felt uncomfortable at sticking around while this played out between them. 

 

She quietly excused herself, but she swore she could feel a pair of eyes staring at her as she walked away. 

 

Trini stormed towards their car, the mother daughter duo gritting their teeth respectively, the civil mood between them had all but dissipated after bumping into Kimberly. 

 

She tried not to get mad at her mother’s paranoid line of questioning, but how is one to listen to — ‘ _ don’t lie to me, are you dating that girl _ ?’ and ‘ _ why can’t you change? Be normal! _ ’  — and not get absolutely livid?  

  
  


 

They didn’t get ice cream after all. 

  
  
  


 

*************

  
  
  


 

It mid-afternoon when Trini’s phone beeped with notifications. She was confused for a split second, before she guessed who it could be. Picking her phone up, her eyes fell on the group chat that she was suddenly added into. 

 

Her eyes narrowed at the chat name: **Multicolored** **Kids with Multicolored Coins.** _Who was the one who named this?_ Shaking her head, she read the messages.

  
  


 

**JScott:** _ Why isn’t anyone here yet? (Billy’s here though) Come on guys, we’re supposed to train.  _

**ⓩⓐⓒⓚ:** _omw bruh, chill_

 **KimHart:** _I’ll be a little late, sorry guys!_

**T:** _ be there in 10 _

**ⓩⓐⓒⓚ:** _ Even your username’s short ;)  _

**T** :  _ You’re in my shitlist, homeboy _

**William (Billy) Cranston** :  _ Please don’t fight guys :( _

**ⓩⓐⓒⓚ:** _ She just loves me that’s why ;) _

**T:** _Billy, don’t worry. He’s replaceable. His end will be quick and excruciating._

**William (Billy) Cranston** :  _??? He’s not, Zordon said that we are all chosen for a reason, and anyways why would his replacement be quick and excruciating? _

**JScott:** _They’re idiots, Billy. Leave them. You two, cut it please._

  
  


 

Trini kept her phone in her pocket. She could hear Spanish songs blaring downstairs, and she knew that her family wouldn’t notice if she was away for a couple of hours or so. She just had to make it before dinner, and she’s good.

 

Picking up a small bag and draping it over her shoulders, she pushed her window open before jumping out of it. She broke into a sprint once she had landed, savoring the way the wind blew against her face as she made her way towards the mountain. 

 

She arrived at the cliff in record time, and then she took off her beanie and placed it into her bag before closing it tightly, because even though the bag’s waterproof, she never could be too safe. 

 

Satisfied with securing her stuff, she proceeded to climb down the mountain, unwilling to simply jump in like the others do. 

 

She might have been a bit traumatized at being thrown off the cliff, but she’d die before she let anyone know that. Damned that Hart. 

 

At a safe distance, she let go of her hold of the jagged rocks, and fell into the welcome cool water. 

 

Just as she was prepared to dive, she saw a black figure falling down from the top, and Trini squinted at the sight. 

 

A loud splash echoed, and Trini tilted her head to wait for the person to emerge from the water, but there was a stillness, which made Trini worry for a bit.  _ Was the person one of them, or someone else _ ? 

 

Trini  _ definitely _ didn’t squeak indignantly when someone popped up from the water right in front of her, and Kimberly wiped at her face before revealing a wide grin, “Surprised?” 

 

Trini childishly slapped some water at Kimberly’s face before diving into the water, Kimberly’s laughter fading out as she dived deeper. 

 

When she made it to solid ground, Trini dropped her bag down and blinked away the water from her eyes. Kimberly’s drop caused water to splatter on Trini’s unimpressed face, and the ex-cheerleader at least had the decency to look sheepish about it. “Oops.” 

 

Trini rolled her eyes and bent to her bag to retrieve a towel. “Hey, do you have an extra towel?” Kimberly asked. 

 

Trini narrowed her eyes beadily at her, “Why?” Then she turned to see if there was any other drops where Kimberly might shove her down from. 

 

Bemused, Kimberly read the other girl’s mind perfectly. “Relax, I’m not trying to push you off anything. I just forgot to bring my own.” 

 

Trini deliberated on it for a moment, before sighing. “We can share.” At Kimberly’s raised eyebrows, Trini wryly pointed out, “I don’t have a spare towel for a forgetful teammate, so you can either take it or leave it.” 

 

“I’m a teammate now, huh?” Kimberly softly muttered, but it wasn’t soft enough that Trini couldn’t hear. Furrowing her brows, she said, “Well, we’re stuck in this, so yes. We’re a team.” 

 

Kimberly bit her lips, not knowing if she should say it, but then decided she should anyways. “Earlier, you referred to me as just your schoolmate to your mom. I thought…. Well, I thought we’re friends, at least?” 

 

Trini sighed and Kimberly’s heart sank. Then she explained, “It’s nothing personal. My mom … she wouldn’t stay off my case if I said we were friends.” 

 

Kimberly panicked,  _ did Trini’s mother knew of what she did? God, does every parent know _ ?? Shaken, she wrapped her arms around herself, her voice smaller than Trini have ever heard before, “W-Was it because she’s afraid of what I could do? Or that I’d be a bad influence?”

 

Trini frowned, she wasn’t sure where this came from, so she shook her head, “No, if anything, she’s afraid of what  _ I _ could do.” 

 

Now it was Kimberly’s turn to be confused, “What… you could do? But she seemed mad when  _ I  _ talked to you.”

 

Sensing that this was about to become an impromptu heart-to-heart session, Trini balked. Squaring her jaw, she said, “Look, I don’t know what you’ve got in your mind about things, but whatever it is, stop it.” She swallowed her own unease, “I have my own issues alright? I know that it’s hard to wrap your mind around the fact that you’re not the center of everyone’s attention. So lay off.” 

 

She cringed at how harsh her words seemed, even though she was trying to assure Kimberly in a really roundabout way. 

 

Kimberly flinched, and she averted her gaze, “Right, I’m sorry about that.” She quickly walked away without taking the towel after all, leaving Trini mentally chastising her own lack of people skills. 

 

She exhaled loudly before making her way to the Pit, eager to let out steam by punching some Putties. 

  
  
  


 

**************

  
  


 

Kimberly brushed her cheek with her finger, trying to wipe off the dirt from her face, when she heard soft laughter. 

 

She looked up, and saw Trini sitting by the ledge with a smirk on her face, her eyes bright after beating all of the Putties first, out of them all. 

 

Traces of the hurt from earlier faded out the longer she looked into those mirthful eyes, and Kimberly’s lips quirked into a crooked smile, “What’s so funny?”

 

“You look like you’ve been dragged out of the trash bin.” Trini let out a soft chuckle, not being the least bit tactful in her observation. 

 

Kimberly’s jaw dropped in mock horror, and she placed a hand on her chest, “Excuse me? That is one hell of a hot trash bin then. This —” She waved at her face, “— Is perfection.”

 

Trini snorted again, “Yeah, whatever you say.” Puffing her cheeks indignantly, Kimberly pointed at Jason, “Well, compared to him, I’m better off!”

 

Jason frowned confusedly at Kimberly’s off-handed remark, and then he groaned when his frown caused his broken nose to move — he really did look pretty beaten up. 

 

Trini flat out laughed at him, and Kimberly’s heart fluttered. 

 

She shook away her stupor, and went to sit beside Trini. “You’re mean.” Kimberly playfully nudged her.   


 

  
“Aw, that’s probably the sweetest thing you’ve said about me.” Trini sarcastically replied, but Kimberly was downright beaming at her, and Trini frowned. 

  
  
“What, you didn’t like being called short, broody and grumpy?” Kimberly teased, her eyes glinting cheekily. 

  
  
Trini let out a low growl, “Call me short one more time, and I’ll break you into two. How’s that sound for grumpy?” 

  
  
“Perfect. You live up to it, sweetie.” Kimberly even patted the top of her head patronizingly, Trini’s jaw dropped in indignation. She swatted away Kimberly’s hand and then grumbled lowly under her breath with her arms crossed, a deep frown on her face. 

  
  
Kimberly’s airy laughter, however, made Trini’s grumpiness decrease. Grudgingly, she mentally noted that she’d let Kimberly get away with this one, since she was a bit of a jackass earlier. 

 

A beeping sound came from Trini’s watch, and she knew she had to bolt or she wouldn’t make it for dinner. Kimberly looked at her, and Trini awkwardly shrugged, “Got to go.” 

 

“Oh.” Kimberly muttered, feeling deflated at Trini leaving, even though she had no right to.  _ They were barely even friends, weren’t they _ ?

 

Trini made to leave, and Kimberly found her impulsive side winning again as she voiced out, “Trini!” 

 

When she turned around with a raised eyebrow, Kimberly’s bravado dissipated, but she said it anyways, “Um, text me when you’re home? Just to let me know you’re safe?” 

 

She internally cringed at how clingy that sounded, and how silly, given that they’re Power Rangers with superpowers and stuff.  _ Shit now Trini was going to think that I’m a creep, damned it Kimberly _ — 

 

“Sure.” Came her curt reply, and Kimberly was stunned for a good 5 seconds before she shook herself out of it. 

 

Later, only when she received a short, _‘I’m home_ ’ text from Trini — did Kimberly allow the smile to spread across her face. 


	4. Four

Trini bit back a sigh as she heard footsteps coming her way in Biology class. She didn’t need two guesses to know who it was. 

 

“Hey!” Kimberly’s smile was a little unsure, and Trini simply looked up at her quietly. Wetting her lips, Kimberly started, “Uh, so the paired assignment thing, you cool with being my partner?”

 

Trini briefly looked around, letting out a sigh when it seemed obvious that everyone was already paired up, leaving a nervous Kimberly standing by her table. 

 

“Fine.” Her answer perked Kimberly right up, and Trini bit back a smile at the sight. 

 

“Cool, cool. We could do this at my place?” Kimberly asked hopefully. “I guess.” Trini’s half-hearted shrug of agreement was enough to make Kimberly’s heart lift up. 

 

“Great!” The bell rang right at that moment, signalling the end of school, and Kimberly brightened further, “Let’s go then!” She didn’t believe Trini’s supposed grumpiness one bit, the slight smirk on her face a big giveaway of her actual feelings. 

 

They slipped out of class and strut down the hallway side by side, earning Trini some curious looks from the other students for being in the presence of Kimberly Hart. Trini was uncomfortable by the stares, but she was good at ignoring people, so she walked with her broody game strong. 

 

Beside her, Kimberly couldn’t help but to walk with a bounce in her steps with Trini by her side. She didn’t understand why she thought that this seemed to be a noteworthy accomplishment, but she couldn’t deny it felt a lot like it. 

 

That feeling only grew whenever Trini sent glares while grumbling lowly at people who made passing rude comments at Kimberly.

 

Truthfully, it’s not like Kimberly was actually affected by their meaningless mockery — she was used to being made fun of after her disgraceful fall from the top, but the thought that Trini cared for her enough to feel the urge to do something about it, had warmed her heart. 

 

Sensing a pair of eyes on her, Trini turned to Kimberly’s shy smile. “It’s okay, I’m getting used to it.”

 

Trini looked at her and said, “No one should have to be.” 

 

Taken aback by the scowl-free expression on Trini’s face, Kimberly swallowed thickly before bumping their shoulders playfully, “You know, you’re actually really sweet.” 

 

Trini of course, took it as an insult. She shot her a horrified look, before letting out a strangled sounding, “Sweet?! Have you lost your mind? Because that word isn’t associated with me in the least bit.” She tugged at the edge of her beanie while narrowing her eyes at Kimberly. 

 

“Oh you are, underneath all that teenage angst and aloofness. I know your secret, you little ball of sunshine.” Kimberly teased. 

 

Scandalized, Trini’s jaw dropped, “ _ Ball  _ of sunshine?!” Kimberly’s bark of laughter made her frown deepen, and Trini grumbled, “Okay screw the assignment, I’m leaving.” She turned to walk away, but Kimberly gripped on her arm tightly, and it didn’t seem like she would loosen her grip. 

 

Trini was briefly mortified that if she struggled, she’d look a lot like a petulant child being dragged away. 

 

She gritted her teeth, “Let me go.” She even wiggled her arm to demonstrate her point. Kimberly smirked, “Oh come on, it was a compliment. Don’t get mad?” She batted her stupidly long eyelashes and …  _ oh come on, using a pout on Trini, really _ ?  _ Pfft. _

 

_ ….Okay. It fucking worked _ . 

 

Trini growled, very much frustrated at herself, “Fine. Shit, will you cut it?” Kimberly’s puppy dog eyes was abruptly replaced with a cocky smirk, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her grip on her arm loosened, and Trini let out a sigh of relief, until Kimberly linked their arms together, half dragging Trini forward. 

 

“What the hell are you doing?” Trini was further annoyed at the fact that Kimberly purposely tilted her head downwards unnecessarily, a wide grin on her face, “Why, I was under the impression that we were supposed to be walking to my house, finish our assignment…” 

 

“And you have to do this?” Trini shook her arm forcefully, but Kimberly wasn’t easily shaken off.  _ Stupid equal powers _ , Trini grumbled mentally. 

 

“Yes.” Was her simple answer and Trini fixed her with a glare. Which didn’t seem to work, because that insufferable smile couldn’t seem to be wiped off. 

 

Kimberly was proud at herself for her burst of courage, but she knew her limits. Deciding to give Trini a break, Kimberly abruptly unlinked their arms and gave the other girl a little more space.

 

Trini blinked at the sudden change of demeanor, and Kimberly thought that confusion looked really good on the Yellow Ranger. 

 

“You good with walking there? I mostly walked lately.” Kimberly didn’t explain that her parents were always out and about recently, so she was always left to settle things by herself. 

 

Trini shrugged, “Yeah sure.” “My house is not too far away.” Kimberly added, as if distance was an issue, and Trini smirked, “Dude, I think we could circle around town a couple of times without tiring ourselves out.” 

 

Kimberly chuckled, “Yeah, that sounds about right.” They made their way out of school grounds, and were walking in the direction of the housing area near the mountains. 

 

Surprisingly, after their little banter earlier, it suddenly grew quiet between them — but Kimberly suspected that Trini didn’t mind, if her more relaxed face was proof of that. Kimberly felt the urge to say something to get rid of the silence, but she stopped herself before she did.  

 

With Trini, she had quickly learned that making meaningless small talk will only serve to annoy her into giving brusque answers. 

 

Kimberly should feel uncomfortable with the silence, but surprisingly with her, the silence doesn’t feel stifling in the least bit. It was an odd feeling, Kimberly decided, but it was a welcome one.

 

Her attention was directed to a row of familiar houses, and she automatically quickened her steps towards her home, Trini following quietly. “That’s the one.” Kimberly pointed at a big house and Trini stared at it before saying, “It’s nice.”

 

Kimberly hid her grin at the compliment as she grabbed her keys to open the door. When she finally did, a familiar scent hit her like a slap on the face. Eyes widened in horror, she knew it was too late when Trini’s nostrils flared, “Oh my god, this smell!!”

  
Kimberly flinched, she has always felt self conscious about the food her mother sometimes made, no thanks to past experiences of people making fun of the smell.    
  


For the longest time, Kimberly never packed any Indian food to school, for fear of the stares and jeerings from schoolmates. 

  
But now Trini was here and she smelt her mother's curry and now she’ll be as disgusted as the rest of them were,  “—Dude this is fucking awesome!!!” Trini beamed.  _ Wait what?  _ Kimberly's jaw dropped, “You... Like this?”

  
  
Trini gave her an incredulous look, “Of course I would! Gotta admit, one of the things I’ve missed were the Indian places I used to go to before I came here. You have no idea how disappointed I was that there wasn’t any around in Angel Grove.”   


  
Kimberly shrugged, trying not to seem too bothered as she answered,  “Well, not many like it here.”   


  
Trini huffed, shaking her head in disapproval, “Yeah well, this further proves to me that they’re all idiots.” Kimberly laughed at that, and the remnants of the dread she felt about her culture, dissipated. 

 

“Kim! Is that you?” Kimberly’s mother called out from the kitchen, and it finally sank into her mind that her mother was actually home this time of the day. Then again, her mother always did have an erratic schedule.

 

The duo stepped in. “Yes Ma! I brought a friend!” She glanced at Trini sideways to see if she would amend that statement, and to her glee, Trini didn’t. 

 

“Oh.” A tall beautiful tan skinned woman stepped out of the kitchen, and Trini now knew where Kimberly got her looks from. 

 

A shy smile was on Trini’s face as she greeted, “Hello Ma’am.” She proceeded to pointedly ignore Kimberly’s amused smirk. 

 

Kimberly’s mother smiled brightly as she approached them, “Hello …”

 

“Trini, Ma’am.” Trini definitely ignored Kimberly’s snort of laughter while putting on a polite smile for her mother. 

 

“Trini. What a lovely name. My name’s Lalitha. It’s nice to meet a new face….” The mother daughter duo shared a look, until Kimberly averted her gaze. Lalitha turned her attention back to Trini, “Especially someone as adorable as you!” Kimberly cringed, prepared for Trini’s outrage at being labelled adorable …. But Trini was actually blushing at the compliment, mumbling a soft thank you with her head dipped downwards. 

 

Kimberly, being a good friend, decided to save her from further awkwardness. 

 

Placing an arm over her shoulder, Trini visibly tensed and she swore she heard her letting out a low growl, but Kimberly never grinned brighter, “Yes, she’s a really good friend, Ma. Also, she likes Indian food!”

 

Lalitha’s eyes lit up at that, “She does? I believe you’re the first friend of Kimberly who does! Well, you’re always welcome to eat with us anytime, Trini! Speaking of which, I might have some extra curry in the fridge, so you could help yourself to it.” 

 

Turning to her daughter, she gave her an apologetic smile, “Kim, I’m so sorry, but me and your father are not able to eat dinner with you, that’s why I came back to prepare something for you to eat while I pick up some files I needed.” 

 

Kimberly’s face fell before she put on a smile to hide it, “It’s okay Ma. I’d probably have my hands full with homework anyways. Speaking of which, Trini here is my partner for Biology...”

 

A beep rang from Lalitha’s phone, and Trini noticed how Kimberly quickly deflated.

 

Lalitha read the message she got, and she sighed, “I’m sorry sweetie, I have to run. Text me if you need me okay? It was really nice to meet you Trini.” She hugged both girls before making her way out. 

 

The house was silent for a beat, before Kimberly snorted. “Ma’am?”

 

Trini blushed, “Shut up.”

“I must say, I didn’t expect that to come from you.” 

 

“I said, shut up.” Trini grumbled while Kimberly giggled. 

 

Deciding to spare her friend ( _ Kimberly mentally squealed at the title, she is unashamedly happy that they were friends now _ ), she said, “We could work here? Or would you want to take it to my study?”

 

Incredulous at the prospect of so much space, Trini gaped, “You have a —” She shook her head, “Yeah here works too. Plus I could smell the curry better.” Kimberly’s smile brightened at that. 

Once they were comfortably seated, Trini observed, “I didn’t know you were an Indian, Hart.” Her brows furrowed as she realized that even the surname wasn’t very Indian sounding. 

 

Kimberly laughed at that, “I’m half Indian, actually. And, well I didn’t exactly parade my bi-racial status.”

 

“Why don’t you?” Trini asked. 

 

Kimberly averted her gaze, “Growing up in a small town with predominantly white people, you learn pretty quickly that it’s better to blend in rather than stick out.”

 

“So…. you held onto pom poms and ruled the school as head-cheerleader instead?” Despite her words, Trini’s eyes glinted in amusement. 

 

Kimberly rolled her eyes, “Yeah, yeah. I know. But for the record, being all that once upon a time? Wasn’t all that’s cracked up to be.” Trini watched as Kimberly’s face fell, and she felt the compelling urge to wipe that look away.  

 

Trini quickly continued, “At least you got to shine for a bit, make people remember you and stuff. That is pretty cool.” 

 

Kimberly nodded slowly, “I guess.” Then she looked at Trini, “But what about you? As you had called out on me the other day, I didn’t even realize you were around for over a year now. Why didn’t you mix with people like you?” 

 

Trini shot her an unimpressed look, “And what makes them like me? Broody, small and heavy metal loving? I’ll pass.” 

 

Kimberly’s cheeks flared pink, flusteredly she replied, “Well… I didn’t mean it like that… wait, you listen to heavy metal??”

 

Trini shrugged, “Don’t knock it off before you try it. I don’t judge you for loving bubblegum pop, don’t judge my taste in music.”

 

Kimberly huffed, “Wow rude. Who says that I listen to bubblegum pop? Just for you to know, I listen to lots of R&B and EDM.”

 

“Same difference.” Trini smirked. 

 

Kimberly rolled her eyes dramatically, but a smile was fighting to break free from her lips. 

 

She kicked her foot playfully, “Let’s leave the argument for music tastes for another day then. Back to my question, why are you always alone?”

 

“Oh God I wish I was, but sadly there’s such a thing as classmates and group projects, so I’m really not.” Trini tried to be sassy as a means of deflection, but she faltered at the look on Kimberly’s face. 

 

Trini swallowed the lump in her throat, and let out a soft exhale before saying, “Look, when you’re forced to move every year or so, you would quickly give up on making connections too. Because what’s the point, really? Less friends, less goodbyes, less fuss.” 

 

Kimberly’s eyes softened, “I’m sorry to hear that, it must be shitty.”

 

“Yeah well, I don’t really mind it anymore. Friendships are fragile anyways, I mean look at you and your old gang, now that was one hell of a shit show.” Trini wanted to slap herself for saying those words before she could think it through, but Kimberly had unnerved her, and Trini was too used to being prickly towards things that unnerved her.

 

Hurt flashed in Kimberly’s eyes and she pulled away from Trini, averting her gaze, “Yeah, you’re right.”  

 

Trini clenched her fists, knowing that she should say something, but her words were lodged in her throat.  

 

“Do you… know what happened?” Kimberly felt dread settling in the bottom of her stomach.

 

Trini shook her head, “Not really, I’m just aware that you’re not in the circle of Barbies anymore.”

 

“Oh.” Kimberly exhaled a sigh, relieved that Trini didn’t know what she had done. She didn’t know if she could stomach losing Trini’s friendship because of it.

 

An awkward silence grew between them, and it was too much for Trini’s comfort. Seeing the forlorn look which Kimberly spotted now, she blurted, “I’m sorry. What I said earlier…. That crossed a line.” 

 

Kimberly shook her head, eyes still looking a tad too sad for Trini’s liking, “It’s okay, you were right. Friendships are fragile, especially if you’re basically a bitch.”

 

Trini frowned, “You’re not a bitch.” Kimberly shot her a look, and Trini amended, “You’re an ex-bitch. That counts for something.”

 

The edge of Kimberly’s lips quirked upwards, “How is that so?”

 

“Well for starters, you left a group of very-much-still-bitches … also, you’re part of our group now. Doesn’t that, doesn’t that count for something?” Trini asked quietly. 

 

Kimberly shrugged, honestly, she doesn’t know why the coin would pick her …. But seeing the rest …. seeing Trini, she could understand why it picked them. Just not her. 

 

“I think it saw something in us.” Kimberly’s head snapped up. For a brief second she wondered if Trini had read the question in her mind, but she saw that Trini was studying her coin. 

 

“I guess we all must have a little bit of good in us, if it thinks we’re good enough to save the world instead of selling these off the first chance we got. Except for Zack, he’s an idiot.” They grinned at the memory of the dude wanting to sell the coins off at first. 

 

Kimberly pointed out, “But he pulled through, well at least he’s sticking around for this.” 

 

Trini nodded, “Yeah, that shows he has a decent heart at least. That means it’s true for all of us, even for you, Kimberly Hart.” 

 

Kimberly’s heart thudded at the rare soft look Trini was blessing her with right now. 

 

The moment ended when Trini’s ears burned at her rare display of empathy, and she cleared her throat loudly, “Okay that’s it. Are we going to finish this today? Or would we have to be stuck here for life?” 

 

She broodily took out her book and bit off the cap of her pen, before angrily scrawling something on paper.

 

Kimberly stared at her in wonderment, but she was rudely interrupted when a small piece of balled paper was thrown on her forehead. 

 

Cheeks a little pink, Trini sassed, “Anyone home?” 

 

Kimberly’s own cheeks matched Trini’s shade as she stuttered, “Y-Yes. Okay, here’s what we are going to do….” She felt her lips discussing about the parts of the homework they were supposed to do, but her eyes and mind were fixed on the girl sitting beside her. 


	5. Five

Trini slammed her locker a little too forcefully, causing the dude beside her to jump a little.    


  
She scowled, and then started walking down the hall. 

  
  
She wasn't alone for long. "Hey you okay?"

  
  
“Wonderful.” Came her reply. Jason didn't look convinced, "You don't seem like you’re okay. Want to talk about it?"   


  
She bit back a reflexive annoyed response, Jason didn’t deserve to be snapped at for no good reason. One glance at his worried face, and she groaned, knowing that he isn't easy to shake off with the typical responses.    


  
An idea popped in her mind. Turning to face him, she deadpanned, “I'm having my period.”   
  


She tried not to be too smug when Jason froze long enough for her to slip into her class quietly.    
  


She felt a little bad for lying and for shutting people out, but it's always been better this way, and Trini wasn't about to change just because they're all stuck with the same destiny. 

 

Class passed by without her paying much attention to it.    
  
  


  
  


***************

  
  
  


Kimberly was in a decidedly good mood today. She could lie and say that it isn’t because of her blossoming friendship with Trini, but she’s not going to lie to herself. 

 

Her countenance brightened further when she spotted Trini from a distance, and she was this close to waving or calling out to her, but she paused when she saw the look in her eyes.

 

Now, Trini and looking like she would run over you without thinking twice, isn’t exactly a new thing — but there was an extra edge to her today, and Kimberly was understandably concerned. 

 

She missed her chance to approach Trini in the time she took to mull things over. Shoulders slumped, Kimberly continued her path to her Physics class when she saw Jason walking towards her.

 

Jason smiled when he spotted her, “Hey.” Kimberly waved at him half-heartedly, and Jason took in her sullen disposition before asking gently, “Are you on your period too?” 

 

“What, no. And what are you implying?” Kimberly frowned, and Jason took a step back, his hands help up, “Nothing! It’s just, you look a little down too…. So I assumed …”

 

“That I’m on my period. Nice.” Kimberly wryly pointed out, a small amused smile on her face. The smile grew when Jason’s face burned red, and he hung his head in embarrassment. 

 

Rubbing the back of his neck, he apologized, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be offensive, but Trini seemed upset earlier and she said that she’s on her period. It was wrong for me to assume things though— ”

 

“Wait, you spoke to Trini?” 

 

Jason nodded, “Well yeah, I was concerned with her moodiness, like triple times more than she usually has, so I asked and she told me that she’s on her period.” 

 

Kimberly winced and she empathized, “Oh yeah those could get pretty intense. Do you think she’d need something? Anything?”

 

Jason’s eyes widened, “Uh…. I wouldn’t be sure about that. Why don’t you text her?” 

 

“Doubt she’d appreciate it if I asked her in the group chat if she’s fine with her period cramps.” Kimberly wistfully commented. 

 

“Um, you don’t have to? You could text her privately.” Kimberly’s eyes widened comically at that suggestion, her mouth hanging open. Before she could respond to that, Jason patted her shoulder awkwardly, “You should do it. I think she’d talk to you, being girls and knowing….stuff.” 

 

He quickly brushed past her and went into his class, while Kimberly went into hers. 

 

The teacher was already there but he’s a relatively nice old dude, who Kimberly hoped wouldn’t mind if she was discreetly texting someone. 

 

She had a text composed, but her finger hesitated in hitting the send button. 

 

“Alright class — ” Hearing his voice, Kimberly panicked when she realized that her time frame to text was quickly closing in, and so with all the bravery she could muster all morning, she hit that send button. 

  
  
  


 

 

Trini’s phone lit up with a notification but she ignored it in favor of paying attention in class. 

 

She was also not looking forward to another text from her mother, which is what further compelled her to continue ignoring her phone even when class had long ended. 

 

It was lunch break now, and Trini immediately made a beeline for her spot. She really didn’t want to be around anyone for a while. 

  
  
  


 

 

Kimberly’s frown deepened with every text that she received which weren’t from Trini. 

 

She kept re-reading the text she had sent to Trini which was,  _ ‘hey are you doing okay? _ ’, continuously wondering if she had said anything out of line or offensive, but decided that the sentence was innocuous enough. 

 

She then arrived at the very sensible conclusion that Trini was simply ignoring her because she doesn’t like her. Her heart dropped. 

 

Right when a flood of emotions threatened to overwhelm her, she spotted that familiar flash of yellow moving towards the field. Without thinking, she was moving towards her, and she kept following Trini towards a rather secluded place which she had never really paid notice to until now. 

 

“Is this a habit of yours? Following me?” That voice snapped Kimberly out of her thoughts, and she only just realized that she was standing not too far away from Trini. 

 

Trini, who was scowling at her, and Kimberly took a step back in surprise at the hostility exuding from her. 

 

Kimberly swallowed thickly, eyes darting around nervously, “I….” 

 

Sensing her discomfort, Trini let out a sigh, and her shoulders visibly slumped. “What do you want?” Her voice was softer now, and Kimberly felt herself gravitating to her, wanting to wipe away that rare sad look on her face. 

 

Trini’s body tensed when she saw the flash of concern in Kimberly’s eyes, and she quickly composed her face to her standard scowl. 

 

Kimberly noticed this, and she stopped advancing towards her, instead wrapping an arm around herself as she said, “I texted you earlier, but you hadn’t replied, so yeah.”

 

Trini’s eyes widened briefly before she took out her phone, to read the text. “I’m fine.” She answered verbally, and Kimberly’s brows were furrowed, “You sure?”

 

“Yes.” Trini gruffly replied before turning to walk away, obviously thinking that the conversation  _ should _ be over, but she had underestimated Kimberly Hart’s persistence. 

 

Matching her stride, Kimberly asked, “You don’t look so good. Would you want me to get you anything to help with the pain?”

 

“You couldn’t help with this pain.” Trini blurted out before she knew it, and she worried if Kimberly would start to pry for more details. 

 

Kimberly empathetically answered, “Hey I know exactly how you feel. It sucks. I can help.” 

 

“No you can’t.” Trini scowled, confused about how she knew what was going on, but since she apparently does, she’s not about to let her butt into her issues. 

 

Kimberly insisted firmly, “Yes I do! I completely understand your pain.” 

 

Trini felt herself snap, and she stopped in her tracks before turning around to glare at her fiercely, “Oh yeah? Well try being stuck with them 24/7, and slowly going crazy with all of these fucking restrictions they pull over me every damned day! Do that, then we’ll talk about you understanding my pain!” She pushed past her, stomping angrily towards the bench hidden behind a large oak tree and sitting on it, trying hard to not allow the tears of frustration to fall. 

 

The leaves rustled as a breeze blew past her, and she keep her breathing steady, suddenly ashamed at her outburst. Kimberly didn’t deserve that, no one did. Which is exactly why she didn’t want to meet anyone. She decided that she should probably give her a donut one of these days.

 

Kimberly softly took the seat beside her. Choosing her words carefully, she said, “I have a feeling like we weren’t exactly talking about period cramps.” 

 

Trini snapped her head up to stare at her, “Period cramps? Who said…. Jason. Of course. Idiot.” She shook her head. 

 

“He was worried about you.” Trini replied, “I know.”

 

“So am I.” 

 

Trini’s voice was softer now, “I know.” Kimberly smiled softly at her, “Want to talk about it?”

 

Immediately Trini answered, “No.” 

 

“Okay.” Kimberly nodded amicably, Trini observed her. “Okay?” 

 

“Yeah it’s cool.” Kimberly shrugged. 

 

Trini stared at her silently, before looking away, “Where’s your lunch?” Kimberly blinked, “Oh. I didn’t get anything.” 

 

Trini eyed her briefly before reaching into her bag. A small packet of M&M’s was pushed towards her, and she ignored the wide-eyed look of surprise on Kimberly’s face, “Shut up.” 

 

Kimberly smilingly took the packet of M&M’s and opened it carefully, stealing glances at Trini who was eating her chips now and trying to ignore Kimberly’s presence while looking forward. 

 

She slightly jumped when Trini suddenly broke the silence, “My friend...” Swallowing the lump in her throat, she continued, “Got into an accident. She’s in the hospital right now.” 

 

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry to hear that.” Kimberly nearly put her hand on top of Trini’s but thought better of it. She pulled her hand back. 

 

Trini shrugged, “It wasn’t that bad, she’s going to be fine. But I wanted to go visit her…. My parents wouldn’t allow me to.” She clenched her fists tightly. 

 

Kimberly carefully asked, “Is it because it’s too far away, or?” 

 

Trini laughed humorlessly, “No, her city isn’t too far from Angel Grove. No, it’s because ‘she’s not a good influence’ on me, or some other stupid nonsense that comes out of their mouths daily. But bottomline is, they said that I should never see her again.”

 

“That sucks.” Kimberly was unsure of what more she should say to that, but Trini didn’t seem to mind that. “Yeah.”

 

They spent a few moments in silence, until the bell rang, and Trini stood up, moving to walk in. Then she heard Kimberly calling out, “Trini?”

 

She turned around, and Kimberly smiled softly, “You could talk to me about anything.” Her eyes shone with sincerity, conveying her hopes that Trini would start opening up to her more. 

 

Trini tilted her head sideways, and seemed to think about it for a while. “Nope. Not going to happen.” Trini kept walking. 

 

Unable to hide her dismay, Kimberly whined as she caught up to the other girl, “What, why?” 

 

Sparing her a side-glance, Trini smirked, “You’re annoying enough without knowing all my deep dark secrets.” 

 

“That sounds like fun. I like secrets.”

 

“Of course you do.” Trini said it with a tiny smile. 

 

“Besides you need someone to talk to, someone to listen to your troubles. I volunteer myself!” Kimberly raised a hand and Trini shot her a weary look, “Right.” 

 

“Is that a yes?” Kimberly grinned widely.

 

Trini snorted, “Not in the slightest.” She walked a few steps ahead, before she realized that the other girl wasn’t following. She turned around, and rolled her eyes at Kimberly’s very exaggerated pout. 

 

“What are you doing?” Trini asked, genuinely curious. 

 

Kimberly shrugged, “Oh, you know, just trying to cope with my heartbreak over you pushing aside my sincere offering of friendship.” 

 

Trini burst out laughing, and Kimberly couldn’t keep up her pout any longer. 

 

“You’re ridiculous.” Trini had an amused smile on her face and she kept walking with Kimberly by her side. 

 

“Care to find out exactly how ridiculous I am?” Kimberly tried to sound casual and cool, but her nervous energy was palpable. 

 

“I have a feeling like I would, without me asking for it.” Trini wearily observed, and she imperceptibly faltered in her steps when Kimberly’s grin spread widely. “So does this mean that we’re besties now?”

 

Trini’s jaw dropped, “Whoa hold up, I didn’t sign up for this besties bullshit.” 

 

“Sure you did.” Giddy with elation, Kimberly bravely wrapped an arm around Trini’s shoulders. 

 

“Kim.” Trini warned as she looked at her hand briefly before staring at her, expecting her to move her hand away. Kimberly merely smiled, while not moving her hand away at all. 

 

Trini rolled her eyes, but hadn’t shaken nor bitten her hand off, which, Kimberly definitely takes as a really good sign.

 

“I hate you.” But there was no heat in Trini’s words. 

 

Without missing a beat, she confidently answered, “No you don’t.” 

 

Trini let out a soft sigh, resigning to her fate at this point, while Kimberly never felt this happy in a long time. 

 

“We should totally get friendship bracelets.”

 

“Don’t push it.” 


	6. Six

School was over, and Trini was intent on heading straight home, seeing that she has a couple more hours before she needs to go for training. Which had been a bummer, mostly because of their failure to morph, and Zordon’s disappointed sighs and repeated, ‘Take them to the Pit!’, really didn’t help. 

 

She heaved a sigh, and then her eyes fell on Billy, who was sitting by the bench, looking a little off. Feeling concerned, Trini went over to him. “Hey.” 

 

Billy perked up briefly, “Oh hey Trini.” Trini took the seat next to him and then fidgeted with her fingers, “Uh, you okay?” 

 

He nodded slowly, “Yes, objectively speaking I am okay. I am not physically or emotionally hurt, but I am concerned. Do you think we could morph into the Power Rangers? Because Rita is coming in a few days, and I wonder what would happen if we couldn’t morph until the last moment. That would be bad. Really bad, wouldn’t it?” 

 

He looked at Trini for answers, but the girl felt herself uncomfortably out of her comfort zone here. She never was good with assuring people, verbally or nonverbally. 

 

Burning under Billy’s expectant gaze, Trini spotted a familiar flash of black from her peripheral vision, and without second thoughts, she called out, “Kim!”    
  


Kimberly stopped her stride at hearing her name. Turning around, her confused face morphed into a smiling one when she realized who had called her. “Hey!” She moved towards them. 

 

Kimberly’s smile faltered a little when she read the slightly panicked look on Trini’s face, and a small frown was on her lips when she was abruptly pulled to sit next to her. “Whoa, what’s up?” 

 

Trini quickly recapped their prior conversation, “Billy was just worried about what would happen if we couldn’t morph.” Trini shot her a pleading look, hoping Kimberly would be better at comforting him. 

 

Kimberly blinked, before turning to face Billy and shrugging, “Well that means that we’re epically screwed.”

 

Trini shoulder checked her, and Kimberly frowned, “Ouch, what was that for?” 

  
Gritting her teeth, Trini leaned closer to whisper angrily, “You were supposed to comfort him, genius!”

 

Kimberly’s eyes widened in realization, “Oh right. Shit, my bad.” 

 

“Ugh” Trini puffed her cheeks in annoyance before turning to face Billy, who was frowning in confusion, “Kimberly, it isn’t possible for us to be screwed. We aren’t nails!”   
  
“It was just a phrase, Billy. And she didn’t mean that,  _ does she _ ?” Trini shot her warning look. Kimberly quickly shook her head. 

 

Billy nodded, not really understanding, but not asking for further explanations too. Trini exhaled loudly, “Look, we just keep trying, alright? That’s the best we could do right now.” 

 

Billy nodded, “I guess you’re right.” There was a loud honk, and Billy stood up, “That’s my mom. I’ll see you two later!” He waved at them before walking to his van.

 

The girls waved him goodbye, and Kimberly let out a soft laugh, “That was actually pretty good advice, I’m proud of you.”

 

Trini turned to grace her with a wry look, “Yeah, no thanks to you, doofus. You were supposed to be ….” Her words trailed away as she struggled to find the correct term. 

 

Kimberly offered, “Amazing? Have good skin?” 

 

“Useful!” Trini voiced out frustratedly. 

 

“.... Are you implying that I’m useless?” Kimberly laughed. 

 

“Yes! No. Ugh, I mean, I thought you’d be better with comforting people. You were a cheerleader!” Trini pointed out sensibly. 

 

Kimberly giggled, eyes crinkling with amusement, “I was also the one who punched a dude, and his tooth fell out.”

 

“Well they put it back.” Trini shrugged. Kimberly’s eyes widened with surprise before she  gasped, “You said you didn’t know about what had happened!”

 

Trini smirked, “I don’t. It ain’t exactly secret that Ty got his tooth knocked out. Was excited at the thought that the dumbass would have a tooth missing, because come on, it’s funny — and then I heard that his tooth was back in place. Talk about disappointing.” 

 

Kimberly hung her head, and she bit on her lower lip as she asked, “Aren’t you curious about what happened? Why I punched him, why I’m kicked out?” 

 

“Are you ready to tell me?” Trini asked, her eyes softening, surprising Kimberly with it.

 

Kimberly could. She could just tell her everything, before Trini would find it out from other less than charitable people —  but the fear was still there. And things were looking pretty good between them now, Kimberly just couldn’t risk it. Not yet. 

 

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Kimberly said, “No… Not now.” She braced herself for Trini’s disappointment, but it never came. 

 

Trini nodded amicably, “Then it’s none of my business. I know a thing or two about respecting someone’s privacy.”

 

Kimberly had to ask, “Aren’t you curious?”

 

Trini snorted, “Do I look like the nosey type? Hell, do I even seem remotely social? I don’t care for the dramatics of a bunch of idiots.” 

 

Gasping in mock offense, Kimberly said, “Are you saying I’m an idiot too?”

 

Trini eyed her up and down, “Yeah. You were. But I think you redeemed yourself by knocking Ty’s tooth out.” 

 

Kimberly had a small smile on her face, “You don’t like Ty?” 

  
  
Trini rolled her eyes, “I don’t like anyone, period.”    
  


Kimberly playfully nudged her arm, “Ay that’s not true.” Trini snorted, “You can keep telling yourself that.” She was a little annoyed that Kimberly’s smile wasn’t the least bit dampened. 

 

Suddenly Kimberly brightened up further, “Hey, want to get donuts?” 

 

Trini eyed her watch, they still had some time before training, her mother was away for a neighborhood meeting, her brothers have extra-curricular activities, and her father was at work. 

Trini could go home and enjoy the moment of peace and quiet. 

 

“Okay.” Was her answer instead. She told herself it’s because she wanted to eat some donuts — not because of Kimberly’s expectant face. Nope, definitely not that. 

 

“Oh good. I don’t have to use my persuasion skills.” Kimberly wiped away at her imaginary sweat. 

 

Trini fought back a smile, settling for a smirk instead, “For the donuts, Kim. For the donuts.”

 

Kimberly’s bright smile nearly made Trini smile too. 

  
  
  
  
  


************

  
  
  


There was a comfortable lull of silence between them after their joint effort of finishing a box of donuts. Trini happily sipped her coffee, and Kimberly simply stared. 

 

Then she wistfully asked, “How was life outside of Angel Grove?” 

 

Trini lifted her gaze to meet hers, “What, you lived here all your life?”

 

Kimberly nodded slowly, a little embarrassed by the fact. 

 

Trini whistled, “That’s boring, sorry.”

 

“Me too. I wanted to leave, before this happened. Now it seems like we’re tied to this place. Don’t know what to feel about that, to be honest.”

 

Trini shrugged. A moment passed before she started, “It was annoying, mostly. I always had to get used to new places, to the people.”

 

“It sounds interesting.”

 

Trini thought about it, then she nodded. “Yeah I guess it was. I don’t miss the people I’ve met, because when you move a lot, you quickly learn to be detached. But I do miss the shops I would go to, the spots where I would go to unwind and pass time.”

 

“Like the rock at the mine?” Kimberly grinned, and then softly added, “And the spot at the field in school?”

 

Trini narrowed her eyes at her, “So it was  _ you _ ! I thought I felt eyes on me a couple of mornings. Why didn’t you say something, you know, like a normal person and not a creep?”

Kimberly blushed profusely, spluttering, “I didn’t want to interrupt you! You look very at peace. It’d be wrong for me to disturb that.”

 

“Well, I’d take that than being creeped on. Next time, just make yourself known, Kim.” Trini took a sip of her coffee. 

 

Kimberly blinked, “Wait, are you saying it’s okay for me to hang around?” 

 

“It’s not like you’d stop coming if I told you not to.” Trini realized that she had unintentionally sounded a tad too harsh. True enough, Kimberly looked like a kicked puppy. 

 

She hung her head and held her cup tightly,  “Of course I would stop. I don’t want to annoy you. I’m sorry.”

 

Slapping her forehead in frustration, Trini growled out, “ _ Dios _ . Kim, I was being sarcastic. Don’t they have that in Angel Grove? 

 

Kimberly’s sad face was quickly dissipating, “I guess.” 

 

Trini huffed, “Well good, because I don’t think this friends thing will do well if you don’t start loosening the hell up. Look, if I hate you, or get annoyed or whatever, I’ll let you know. No delicateness whatsoever.” 

 

“You don’t hate me?” Kimberly’s smile was widening. 

 

Trini rolled her eyes, and she sighed, “No.”

 

Kimberly wiggled in her seat, before declaring gleefully, “So that means that you love me to bits and pieces then!”

 

Trini looked at her, “Now that’s fucking far-fetched.” 

 

“Sarcasm, Trini. Just showing you that we do have it.” Kimberly smiled proudly. 

 

“Har har.” Trini rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face — which dropped when she realized the time, “Hey we have to go.”

 

Kimberly was startled too, “Right. Wow time flies when I’m with you.” She batted her eyelashes excessively, and Trini laughed, “That was lame.” 

 

They got out of Krispy Kreme and made their way towards the mine. Soon enough, they both stood by the cliff, and Kimberly almost jumped in, when she realized that Trini was hesitating a little bit. 

 

“What, you scared?” Kimberly teased, but her smile fell when Trini’s eyes briefly flashed with panic, before she quickly shook it off, “No, I’m not.”

 

“Trini…. Are you traumatized by what I did to you?” Kimberly hoped that it wasn’t true, but Trini’s hesitance in answering increased her guilt and dread. 

 

Trini swallowed thickly and tried to shrug it off, “It’s not that big of a deal. I just don’t feel comfortable falling down there yet. I will get over it eventually.” 

 

Kimberly stepped closer to her, but Trini instinctively backed away, causing Kimberly to feel worse. But she took another step closer to Trini again, who was now eyeing her cautiously.

 

Kimberly held out her hand, and pleaded softly, “Trust me?”

 

Trini heaved a soft sigh, but stepped closer anyways. She annoyedly placed her hand on Kimberly’s, “Yeah yeah, I do.” Her eyes widened when she realized that Kimberly was gripping her hand tightly. “Wait, what are you doing?  _ Kim. _ ” 

 

Kimberly was backing them both closer to the edge of the cliff, and she smiled widely, “Trust me.” 

 

“Yeah fuck that. Let me go!” 

 

Kimberly pulled her closer, “I got you.” Trini’s face paled, “Kim, I swear to God if you pull me over again, I’m going to kick your —  _ ASS _ !” Trini squealed when Kimberly nearly hurled them over, but she didn’t. 

 

“I won’t push us over, until you’re ready to.” Kimberly smiled softly as she looked down at Trini’s frightened face. 

 

Trini gulped, and tried to keep her voice from quivering, “You’re not going to let me off until I say yes, aren’t you?” 

 

Kimberly softly nodded, and Trini closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, “Okay then. Go ahead and throw us over, you crazy woman.”

 

Trini felt herself being pulled closer, until she was unmistakably being hugged. Her frown deepened when Kimberly softly assured her, “I got you.” 

 

Then they were no longer standing on the ground, and are rapidly falling down the cliff. Trini fell with the lingering floral scent coming from Kimberly’s shirt, and her arms wrapped protectively around her. 

 

They caused a loud splash, and Trini felt that Kimberly’s arm were still around her as they kicked upwards for air. 

 

“Are you okay?” Kimberly asked as she finally released her hold. Trini nodded, “Yeah, I’m good.” 

 

Kimberly smiled brightly, “See? I got you.” 

 

Trini slapped a splash of water to her face, “Yeah, real nice of you Kim.” 

 

Kimberly spat out the water, “Guess I deserved that. Are you over it though?”

 

“I think, I’m definitely not standing near you when we’re around cliffs anytime soon.” Trini smirked when Kimberly’s face fell. “Yeah, I guess it’s not that bad. To jump off cliffs, I mean. Not the standing with you part, I still think it’s a bad idea.” 

 

“You’re mean.” Kimberly pouted. 

 

“Yeah, that better make you think twice before you pull shit like that again. But…. you know, thanks.” 

 

Then she quickly dived into the water, completely missing the way Kimberly smiled thanks to her words. 


	7. Seven

Dinner at the Hart household was an especially quiet affair lately. Kimberly tried not to blame herself too much, but she knew that things had been tenser because of her. 

 

Kimberly stabbed a piece of chicken, and chewed on it, eyes briefly darting between her mother and her father. 

 

To her surprise, it was him who started broke the silence tonight, “How’s school?”

 

On second thought, maybe he shouldn’t say anything at all. She put down her fork before answering, “It’s okay.” 

 

“I heard from Lalitha that you made a new friend….” He frowned, struggling to remember the name. 

 

“Trini, her Biology partner.” Lalitha supplied. 

 

He nodded genially, “Trini, yes. Does she…Know?” 

 

Kimberly put down her fork, eyes downcast, “No, she doesn’t.” 

 

Lalitha stared at her empathetically, “Oh honey maybe it’s for the best, for a while at least. Until things cooled down for you in school. You’ve already lost all of your friends after all.” 

 

Kimberly bristled, “What do you mean?” 

 

Lalitha tried to put it delicately, “Well sweetie, it’s understandable if Trini would feel…daunted at being your friend after what you did — ”

 

Kimberly felt her throat constricting, “She’s different.” 

 

“I doubt she’d look past that. Not many could.” Her father pointed out bluntly, and Kimberly felt herself finally snap after days of his passive aggressive statements or cold treatments.

 

She clenched her fists and fought back frustrated tears, “I said I’m sorry, and I’m already paying for it. Detention every Saturday, being kicked off the team, losing my ‘friends’, what more should I do to fix this?!” 

 

Her father raised his voice, “I will not have you speak to us in that tone. We are only thinking for you.” 

 

“Well? I have enough of your thoughts. Why don’t you start feeling for me instead? You don’t even care enough to spend more time than just a dinner with me every day!” Kimberly stood up abruptly, before turning to run up the stairs.

 

“Kimberly!” Her father called loudly, and Kimberly could hear her mother try to soothe him, “Leave her, she’s just got a lot in her mind lately.” 

 

She closed her door, leaning her body on it for a while before she let out a sharp gasp of breath. Then she started crying, the tears flowing without her wanting it to. 

 

She staggered to her bed, and fell on it, grabbing a pillow before curling herself into a ball. 

 

After getting her breath back, she stared at her phone for a moment before reaching out for it. She hesitantly scrolled to Trini’s number, finger hovering above the call sign before settling for a text instead.

 

  
  
*************  
  


 

“Thank you.”

 

T rini turned around to that voice after drying the last plate, and saw her mother giving her a tentative smile. 

 

The edges of Trini’s lips spread into a tiny smile, and she nodded before turning to place the plate on the dish rack. 

 

“I’m sorry.” 

 

Trini turned around again, “For?” 

 

“For not allowing you to visit your friend at the hospital.” Her mother let out a tired sigh, knowing that she was being overbearing but not being able to help herself. 

 

Trini softly exhaled, “It’s okay mom.” 

 

Her mother nodded, and she grabbed Trini’s arm before she could walk past her, “You do understand that I’m only doing this because I love you?” 

 

Trini does understand, even though she absolutely hates how her mother shows it sometimes, but deep down, she does know that it comes from a good place. 

 

Which is exactly why it makes it so hard for her sometimes. She couldn’t rebel or lash out without feeling guilty after. It was a tough place to be indeed. 

 

And so she nodded, and pressed a kiss on her mother’s cheek, “I do, mom. Love you too. Goodnight.” 

 

She went to kiss her father’s cheek, and hugged her bantering brothers before running up to her room. 

 

It was quiet, and Trini felt herself breathing a little easier. She walked to her table, and saw her phone blinking with a notification. 

 

Heaving a quiet sigh, she reached it and was expecting a text from the group chat, but was surprised to see it was from Kimberly instead. 

  
  


**8.01. p.m.** _We’re friends….. right?_

  
  


Trini frowned, and she quickly replied.

  
  


**8.02 p.m.** _ Yeah.  _

  
  


Trini stared at her phone, and then she frowned, when she realized that she was actually waiting for her reply. 

 

She reasoned that it’s because she’s annoyed that Kimberly was in one of those moods again ….but worry quickly bubbled within her. 

 

_ Why was Kimberly in a mood now _ ?

 

She let out an exasperated exhale, and she already knew she was already getting annoyed before she even did it, but she called her anyways. 

 

She waited for a while, until it got picked up. “Listen, I don’t know why you’re being weird — ” She stopped when she thought she heard a soft gasp. 

 

“Kim?” Her voice was calm, but she sat upright in alert.

 

“ _ Yeah, I’m here. I didn’t think you’d call. _ ” Her voice sounded weird. 

 

“Are you… okay?”

 

“ _ Yeah yeah. I’m just. It was stupid _ .” Kimberly’s voice cracked a little. 

 

“Doesn’t seem stupid.” 

 

“ _ It’s fine. I’m fine. I — goodnight. _ ” She abruptly ended the call. Trini stared at her phone, long and hard. 

 

She turned, staring at her door for a while, and she knew that she had made up her mind. 

 

Grabbing her jacket, placing her phone into her pocket, she climbed out of her window. 

 

She huffed, mostly annoyed at herself for doing this, but she couldn’t deny that she was worried, and so she took off. 

 

Kimberly’s lower floor seemed to be lit, so that means that her parents are in. Trini cursed herself again. Looking up, she saw the room at the end was lit dimly, and taking her chances, Trini scaled the wall, pulling herself up a small ledge. 

 

A string of curse words were grumbled lowly when Trini realized that even with standing on the ledge, she wasn’t tall enough to open the window herself. 

 

Between being spotted by Kimberly’s neighbor, or crushing her dignity by knocking on the window — Trini again cursed herself before she tapped on the window. 

 

_ Kim better be dying or I would kill her myself _ , Trini darkly thought as she waited for the damned window to open. 

 

The window suddenly swung wide open, knocking the top of Trini’s head, and more out of surprise rather than pain, she cursed softly, “Fuck!” 

 

Kimberly’s eyes were as wide as saucers as she gaped at the (really pissed off) girl, “Trini?!”

 

Trini hissed softly, “You better pull me in before I make you wish that you don’t know that I exist.” 

 

“Right!” Kimberly pulled her in, and then quickly closed the window. 

 

She turned around to see Trini brushing her hands and she just couldn’t hide her amazement, “You’re here.”

 

Trini huffed, “Yes.”

 

“Why?” Kimberly took a step closer. 

 

Trini shrugged, “You sounded funny.”

 

Puzzled, Kimberly asked, “So you climbed up my wall?”  

 

Trini pinched the bridge of her nose, “I’m regretting this so bad. I just — ” Then she noticed the redness of Kimberly’s eyes, which were shining with tears again. 

 

“Oh shit. Don’t cry.” Was what Trini said, but Kimberly’s tears were obviously not listening. She did try to wipe it away though, “I’m sorry. I really don’t want this too.”

 

Not knowing what to do with her hands, Trini decided to pat her shoulder awkwardly. “Crying sucks.” 

 

Kimberly laughed, “Yeah, it does.” 

 

“Is it because of us not being able to morph?” Trini asked carefully.

 

She shook her head, “It’s not that at all. It’s just… Family stuff.” 

 

“Okay.” Trini didn’t prod further, which Kimberly very much appreciated. 

Trini surreptitiously took in the sight around her. This room had too much pink, she thought.  

 

Kimberly sniffled, wiping the last of her tears, “What were you going to do? Coming here and all.” 

 

Trini’s eyes widened, and then her cheeks grew pink before she cleared her throat awkwardly. “I… actually have no clue.” 

 

“So you ran here, climbed my wall, standing there awkwardly — and you have absolutely no plan?”

 

Trini grumbled, “Yeah yeah, I know just how stupid this is, thank you for pointing that out to me.” 

 

“And you say you’re not sweet.” Kimberly smiled softly. 

 

Unimpressed, Trini scowled, “I’ll break you into two. Try me.” 

 

Kimberly moved closer with a smile, “You don’t scare me.” 

 

Trini huffed in indignation and crossed her arms. 

 

Then Kimberly blurted, “Can I hug you?” 

 

Her answer was immediate, “No.” 

 

“Please?” 

 

Trini shook her head, “You’ll make a habit out of it.”

 

Kimberly pretended to mull it over, “You might have a point. But, please? I promise it’ll only be a while.” 

 

Trini sighed lengthily. “Fine. A while. And it better lift your mood.”

 

“I have no doubt it will.” Kimberly wasted no time in pulling her for a bear hug, which was only slightly awkward given that Trini was as still as a statue. 

 

“Can you let go of me now?” Trini asked, after what felt like a million years for her. 

 

“No.”

 

“ _I knew it_.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey you all <3 I'm sorry for the absence, and regretfully, I will have to be on a hiatus for a bit, but rest assured, I won't abandon this fic. You have my word :) Anyways, I hope you're well and dandy, have a lovely day/night <3


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